Author's Address: Hopefully or not hopefully since it's so sad, but recently there was a tragic shooting in Connecticutt at a elementary school that took the lives of over twenty people. I couldn't help but feel sad about this because I think it's sad that even the simple act of taking your child to school can end so tragically, and I know from taking my neice to school everyday and picking her up, I never until now would fear that something like that could happen. My prayers go out to those involved and the parents because even though I'm an aunt, I still love my neice as if she were my own, and to experience what those have in Connecticutt have had to, I would've needed every ounce of my belief in God to pull through. I can't help but feel angry at the guy that did this because even though he was sick, I feel like someone dropped the ball somewhere and it cost innocent people their lives. I can't begin to say that I have ideas as to what needs to be done to stop such senseless deaths, but I know that kids should grow up to feel protected not fear the simple acts of goign to school or going to a movie or going to a mall. So I just wanted to start out this chapter by addressing that because it's still quite heavy on my mind and probably will be for now on. If you have kids or neices/nephew or just loved ones, hug them a little more, love them a little harder, and appreciate them a bit more because tomorrow isn't always guaranteed.

[[[[[Campaign 400 Progress= 285 to go...if aiming for 500= 385 to go]]]]]


Quaternary: Rise to Power

Chapter Seven- Thanksgiving Doesn't Live Here Anymore


Picking at the loose strands on the pillow, Serena sat comfortably on the sofa with her legs underneath her. Letting out a sigh as she grew more and more parched by the minute with all the talking she had done thus far. Dr. Han for the most part just listened as she recounted simple thoughts that came to her mind on phrases he would throw it at her, which he would just use as a simple warm up to the questions he truly wanted to know about. It was nerve racking once they first started out but Serena grew in to ease with Dr. Han as he had a unique way of finding his way to the answer that dug deep into what she did her best to conceal or what she never thought she could think of. Letting a silence come between them, Serena jus looked on the frays of thread that were on the pillow as if she needed some bit of focus on something.

"Are you looking forward to the holidays?" Dr. Han asked to break the silence

"Thanksgiving?" Serena questioned "Not so much. Holidays aren't the warm fuzzy family time, it's the excuse to make an event in my house" she smiled

"Surely those are memorable" Dr. Han said

"Sure, it can be memorable but in the Upper Eastside, memorable isn't something you don't want to be. You just have the small talk of net gain and then the comparisons of who's doing better in business….it's all the same talk with little in outcome" Serena replied

"And you've just…you've become pessimistic about the holidays?" Dr. Han asked

"I've become used to the script. That's all I can say" Serena smiled weakly before a silence came between them "Holidays were like the beginnings and the finales for my family" she said as she looked on at the snow globe that sat on Dr. Han's desk. Picking up on what Serena was staring at, Dr. Han put his notepad down before he turned to walk towards his desk to grab the globe "Sorry, I was just trying to figure out where you got that from" she said

"….I lucked up and went on some tour to Switzerland. I wanted something to remember the trip since I knew it wasn't going to happen again. So I just bought this globe. Can't remember where I go it from though, it's supposed to be some sort of a one of a kind…" Dr. Han began to say as Serena kept her attention on the globe as he held it

"Crans" Serena quickly blurted out as Dr. Han just looked on at her with a bit of surprise "Crans Montana. Has some of the best shopping experiences in Switzerland….the rarities are memorable such as that globe" she said as she continued to look on at the globe

"And you know this how?" Dr. Han asked

"I've had a Thanksgiving there….probably one of the best and the worst" Serena smiled weakly as her mind drifted back to that time.

[Flashback- Six Years Ago]

Quickly making her way inside of the extravagant rental home, Serena clenched on tight to her numerous shopping bags as she ran up the staircase. It still had taken her some time to get used to the house since it wasn't often that her parents brought her and her brother along to their trips to the Alps. Immediately finding the maid service as her indicator of which room was hers, Serena greeted the staff as they nicely tucked away their clothing for the trip before she threw the bags on to the bed. Assuring the staff that they didn't need to worry about these set of bags, Serena just wanted some bit of privacy without it being manufactured or requested through the head of staff that was assigned to them for the holidays. Once alone, Serena began to go through the bags and bags of clothes that she had picked out as the smile grew bigger and bigger with all that she was seeing.

"Is this self induced or your attempt to be prim and proper for the parents?" Eric asked after he knocked on the door to get his sisters attention

"Who says prim or proper at your age?" Serena asked with a bit of laughter as he made his way inside of the room to take a seat on the plush sofa she had in her room

"I read. I read a lot" Eric smiled

"I can tell. Sometimes I feel you get lost behind the pages of book than living in the actuality of things" Serena said as she began to organize her clothes into a pile "And why would I need to be this so called prim and proper for the parents?" she asked

"Oh because you've truly become the internet sensation. They've even dubbed you the it-girl" Eric said as he pulled his phone out to show the latest society pages

"Let me see" Serena said as she walked over to grab the phone from her brother as she began to read "Okay, I may have had a lapse in judgment but it's not all that this article makes it out to be" she said

"You were naked on an aircraft carrier" Eric reasoned

"I was wearing a white dress" Serena replied

"A white, wet dress while on a school trip….do I really need to say more?" Eric asked with a bit of laughter as he knew that his sister couldn't talk his way out of this one "Our mother has cleansed herself with a full days worth of retail therapy, while our father…" he began to say

"Oh, no. Has daddy said anything?" Serena asked becoming alarmed at the prospect of her father finding out

"Nope, but I'm sure you'll have that moment where you'll get the stern look" Eric said "You forget this is a business trip, and this won't help. So you should hope that prim and proper is what you are or else you're only thanks will be that you will be alive to see another day" he said as he got up from his seat "Happy Thanksgiving sis" he smiled as Serena just moped as she looked on at the society pages on the phone

[End of Flashback]

Coming back to her reality, Serena continued to look on at the snow globe for a few more moments before Dr. Han moved the globe to distract her from her trance that she found herself in. Tearing out of her reverie, Serena looked over to see Dr. Han looking back at her and for a moment she just froze over the fact that this was the first time she had thought back to that Thanksgiving in light of all that had happened.

"Are we done?" Serena asked as she got up from her seat

"Yeah…uh, we still have to discuss…." Dr. Han began to say as Serena quickly grabbed her things and made a quick dash for the door.


With the professors lecture running amuck in her mind, Blair felt as if a Thanksgiving break was the last thing she needed. It was no secret that she had endured a horrible day that lead to a weeks worth of adjusting to her newfound school, but Blair still couldn't help but feel like a fish out of water. Making her way through the quad, Blair sighed as she knew that cramming a mini study session in wasn't going to do her any good when she was all ready trying to do too much multitasking. Walking out towards the sidewalk, Blair put the notebook to pull the blackberry out to get her latest fill on what was happening in the world of Gossip Girl other than the world of Blair Waldorf. Just as she walked with her attention focused on the small phone screen, Blair soon felt the presence of brother.

"I'm afraid that if I look up then I have to acknowledge that you've got nothing better to do than to just randomly show up at my school" Blair rambled as she looked over at Tyler to see him where a grin

"I was actually in the area. I kind of got a writing job for the holiday spread in the society pages" Tyler stated

"And is that a good thing?" Blair asked

"I'm secretly screaming with anger but loudly smiling to thank the high heavens that I'm employed" Tyler said "But moving on from that, I wanted to ask you about what to bring to Thanksgiving?" he asked

"How would I know?" Blair quickly asked as they came to a stop at the crosswalk

"Because you typically bring something to a dinner gathering that is traditional" Tyler replied

"We have Dorota, she makes all and everything a Thanksgiving meal needs. All you need to do is show up on time…." Blair began to say

"I will show up about two hours late" Tyler quickly replied as Blair just gave him a look before they began to walk across the street

"You break the first rule of them all?!" Blair questioned

"This is for the society page! I didn't create this job and decided to book it on this day, it just happened to be a writing gig for Thanksgiving and it will take only two hours tops" Tyler said

"Well it's not like I'll miss you for those blissful two hours, but I think you should inform our mother so she won't think I went back to my scheming ways and successfully took care of the Tyler problem" Blair stated as her eye began to wander about at the store windows that featured some of the latest designs by the biggest designers in New York

"I still don't doubt that you will one day take that route, but I have no problem of living on the whim that you admitted to wanting me around" Tyler teased

"I have no clue as to what you're referring to" Blair quickly replied as Tyler couldn't help but laugh at the fact that she was quick to forget such a moment between the two, which was perfectly fine with him because he knew moments like that with her were far and in between at best. "Who is the big feature on the society pages?" she then asked as Tyler struggled for a moment

"….uh, The Sparks family" Tyler hesitantly told his sister before she tore her eyes away from her love affair that she was having with the Marc Jacobs.

"You writing about the enemy!?" Blair said as she hit him on the arm

"I had no choice. I need the job to pay the bills!" Tyler explained

"You don't do so by writing a glamorous piece on the enemy in the society pages of all places!?" Blair exclaimed as she scolded her brother without ever seeing Bex making her way out of the very shop that Blair and Tyler stood in front of.

"I knew that screeching sound was familiar" Bex smiled as she walked over towards Blair and Tyler

"And somehow this day just got worse" Blair sighed as she folded her arms "To what do I owe this honor of being forced to see you?" she asked sarcastically

"Boy Waldorf, it's always a pleasure to see you" Bex smiled as she extended her hand out to greet Tyler but Blair was quick enough to slap her hand away

"You've done enough attempts of touching" Blair replied "Let's skip the part where we aren't nice to each other" she then replied

"Well since you mentioned touching, I feel it's only right to mention that I have touched and purchased the new clutch that my good friend Marc Jacobs has come out with. Have you?" Bex asked before she gasped over what she had just said like it was some big secret "I forgot that bankruptcy doesn't a lot such a thing…oh well, look at the time. I have to get back to the job you used to have" she smiled devilishly before she pushed through Tyler and Blair as she walked away from them, relishing her slam at Blair's financial status.

"I feel like I witnessed my first verbal cat fight" Tyler stated as he looked on at Bex before he realized that Blair was fuming with pint up anger at her nemesis "And now I feel like I'm about to watch a humans head explode….are you okay?" he asked before Blair quickly made her way inside of Marc Jacobs with Tyler following close behind, fumbling with her wallet as she searched for a specific card

"Where, where, where are you?" Blair asked herself as she searched through her wallet to pull out the card that she shared with Dan, which was made to be their joint account for the bills

"And that evil look doesn't make me feel any better" Tyler stated as the clerk walked up to them "Blair, I really don't think you should make any hasty…." he began to say before Blair handed over the card

"I want the new clutch" Blair quickly told the clerk as she tapped her foot nervously "And the purse. Add the purse as well" she told the clerk as the girl just looked on at Blair as if she was trying to make sure that Blair was certain of her choice as they walked over towards the cash register.

"That'll be…three thousand, six hundred and eight seven dollars" The clerk said as she finished ringing up the price

"I'm sorry what?!" Tyler asked in near shock by the price while Blair stood firm in her choice "Are you serious?!" he asked his sister

"Put it on the card" Blair said forcing herself to smile


Taking a sip from her beer, Serena squirmed as it still wasn't easy to get used to the taste of beer. Serena could only hope to master the art of watching sports in a bar with a beer firmly in hand since she had been hanging out with Nate so much. Seeing that her phone was vibrating, Serena quickly grabbed the phone and put it straight to voicemail before she looked over towards the bartender to send another beer her way. Leaning back in her chair, Serena sighed as she watched the basketball game as she wanted to cheer for the made basket but didn't want to draw too much attention towards herself like she had been known to do a few times in the bar. Making his way inside of the bar, Nate couldn't help but laugh as Serena was becoming more than a permanent bar mate of his, which is something he never thought would be when it came to the it-girl she was proclaimed to be.

"Should I be worried that you started earlier than me?" Nate asked with a bit of laughter "Trip sends his regards and wonders if…." he began to say

"I'm sorry, I truly am but I really don't want to add Trip into the topic of things we could talk about. He's your cousin and he's an interesting character but I need to be in bar mode" Serena told him

"I see" Nate smiled as he looked over towards the bartender to send a beer his way "How was therapy?" he then asked

"Gut wrenching" Serena replied "So much so that I fear talking about it will make me the basket case I just discovered I was. How is the political Archibald life?" she asked with a bit of laughter as she took a sip from her beer

"Oh the agony of yet another fundraiser!?" Nate groaned as he put his hands to his face while Serena just laughed

"And you wanted to talk about Trip. I bet you're appreciating that shut down in conversation" Serena teased

"No but really, what's got you drinking so early?" Nate asked her as the bartender gave Nate his drink

"Coming out of my so called gut wrenching therapy session, I see that my publicist has booked me for a interview with ESPN" Serena said

"That's…awesome. What's wrong with that?" Nate asked "Though I would question what Serena van der Woodsen and ESPN have in common to unite the two?" he then asked as he took a moment to think to himself

"Jason" Serena sighed as she looked over at Nate

"Wow" Nate replied "For what?" he asked

"The team is playing on Thanksgiving, so for the pregame they want to do a tribute to him….and they asked me to speak" Serena said nervously as she stared on at the rim of beer glass

"And you're hesitant to do so because your still dealing with the death and how it all went down?" Nate asked

"Yeah" Serena smiled weakly as it was yet another apparent revelation that only a scarce number of people knew what her relationship really was with Jason "…I just don't think people will understand our relationship" she said

"With the gossip rags painting it to be some tumultuous affair with Sean before taking out the only obstacle in your way in the time honored killing of the significant other. Yeah, I greatly understand your hesitancy" Nate replied "What does Lilly say?" he asked

"Lilly thinks it will be good to honor Jason and show that I still respect his memory" Serena said "I'm trying to avoid my publicist while figure out how I'm going to get through all of this" she sighed

"Be kick ass. That's the point with therapy, to face the demons and monsters of this world, so just consider this a war you have to fight" he told her as he hoped to pump her up

"Be kick ass? That's your word of advice?" Serena asked with a bit of laughter

"Simple and to the point, that's how I like to be" Nate smiled as they both clinked their beer bottles up against each other "European basketball has definitely been your soft spot" he smiled as they looked on at the television screen.


Rolling onto his back, Dan gasped for air as he was finding every sexual encounter he was having with Blair was getting more amazing as the night progressed. A smile came to his face as he tried to steady his breathing while he tried to remember any moment in their relationship where they would have sex from the afternoon all the way into the late evening. Happy that Dan was happy from what felt like round number ten of sex, Blair adjusted the small crick in her neck before she got a glance over at her new Marc Jacobs clutch and purse that she had tucked away nicely in her drawer so that Dan wouldn't notice. Feeling as she was now daydreaming of all the ways she'd rub in to Bex's face that she too could enjoy the finer things in life regardless of her family's financial status, Blair quickly tore away from her reverie to look back at Dan with a smile. Leaning over to kiss her sweetly, Blair could see that Dan was elated with happiness as he pulled back to show his face.

"Tonight. Tonight was, it is….I'm at a loss for words because it has been beyond my wildest expectations" Dan smiled as he traced the outline of her arm as he smiled on at her

"You should expect such gratitude Humphrey" Blair smiled "I mean you've been nothing short of amazing these past couple of months, and I want to show you how much I appreciate you. Tis the season remember, being thankful and all that other stuff" she laughed

"Thankful I am because I've clearly got the pick of the litter in sexy, hot girlfriends" Dan smiled as he leaned in to kiss her once more "The last time we were like this…" he began to say

"Was when we were going through our separation" Blair concluded "But even then, I don't think you were nearly at the prowess you're at now" she smiled "I mean you're becoming quite the sexual deviant that I fear I can't keep up" she told him

"Really?" Dan asked with a bit of shock and surprise

"Certainly. Humphrey you're becoming a sex God of an all new proportion. I never knew you could reach such a level of amazingness. The things you do and just…consider my mind blown numerous times" Blair considered to praise him

"Really?" Dan asked as he was blushing from the flattering that Blair was giving him "I haven't done anything different. Of course the added karma sutra moves we can manage to do but nothing different" he said as he sat up in the bed

"All of which was your idea. You have single handedly changed our sex life with your brilliance to add the element of karma sutra. I must say Humphrey, you're nothing short of genius" Blair said as Dan just reveled in his praise that was being heaped on him

"Sex God" Dan said to himself as he was trying to get used to the title that his girlfriend had just given him "I like that" he said as he looked over at Blair

"No, thank you" Blair smiled as Dan slid over to his side of the bed to put his boxers on before getting out of the bed. Walking over towards the bathroom, Dan flipped the light switch on expecting to see light but found that he was still in the darkness. Flipping the light switch once more then to a couple of times, Dan grew more and more concerned before realizing that the light was off. Making his way back in to the bedroom, Dan began to turn over every light possible in the bedroom but found no light. "What's wrong?" she asked as she sat up in the bed, noticing Dan's reaction.

"I should've noticed but then again I couldn't with everything else we were doing. I have to pay the electric bill" Dan sighed

"Oh, was that due today?" Blair asked

"Yeah, it's kind of stupid since Thanksgiving is tomorrow but I have our billing system set up around my payday" Dan told her as he grabbed his phone to begin going through his accounts "I just have to check the account to make sure of the balance…" he began to say as Blair quickly hopped up on the bed

"Why? Why check the account?" Blair asked

"Because that's where the bills get paid from" Dan told her "It's not that hard. It's the reason we got the joint account so we could pay the bills but then again at that time you were making more than me but now I'm happy to say that….what the hell!?" he said as he was going to their bank account on his phone to see the new balance. Blair squirmed as she didn't need to ask to know what Dan was freaking out over "Why is there a four thousand dollar purchase on the card?!" he then questioned

"It wasn't a four thousand dollar purchase, it was a three thousand six hundred eighty seven and forty six cents" Blair squirmed

"You know about this?!" Dan asked before he looked back at the account to see where it was charged from "At Marc Jacobs!?" he exclaimed "You spent that much in one day at a store?! I don't even spend that much in one year, let alone one day" he told her

"I was under pressure" Blair reasoned

"From what!?" Dan questioned

"….pressures of fashion" Blair declared as Dan looked at her in disbelief before it all began to register for him. Jumping up and down in disbelief, Dan began to point at her in utter disbelief

"That's the reason for all the sex!" Dan declared "You had sex with me because….where is it?" he then came to his conclusion as Blair became alert

"Where is what?" Blair asked trying to throw him off the trail that leading him towards the spare drawer they hardly use

"You don't spend that much money on nothing. A purchase was involved, now I need to know what was the purchase was" Dan said as he found Blair protecting a certain drawer as he walked closer towards her "Give…me…the…precious!" he declared

"Never!" Blair screamed before Dan plunged forward to go for the drawer but found that Blair was quick enough to block him. Stubbing his foot on the drawer, Dan grimaced in pain as he noticed that blood was coming from the cut. Noticing his weakness, Blair spread her arms to protect the precious drawer while Dan hobbled around.

"You do realize I have to see the bag, right?" Dan asked through the pain as he hobbled back

"In due time. In due time but not while you're under such duress" Blair reasoned before Dan just shook his head in disbelief as he hobbled into the bathroom to grab a towel to put some water on but found yet another surprise.

"The water isn't even on!" Dan declared "The water bill is due!" he exclaimed as Blair squealed at Dan's declaration.


Hearing a knock come to the door, Jenny quickly finished putting on her earring before she dashed out of her bedroom. Glancing over towards the kitchen to see that she still had the fire burning under the tea kettle, Jenny made a quick beeline over towards the kitchen to turn the fire off before she once again heard a knock. Making sure to handle the tea kettle with ease and caution, Jenny did her best to move with the quickness so that she wouldn't lose her apparent visitor that she had. Just as she headed out of the kitchen the door opened up with a worrisome Chuck making his way inside. Standing face to face, Chuck and Jenny looked on at each other for a few moments as Chuck knew he'd have to explain his sudden barge in to a place that he was once somewhat welcome in.

"You didn't answer….I just thought…" Chuck began to say

"Yeah, I know. I was just turning the fire off…" Jenny began to say before Chuck's expression turned to panic and alert

"Fire. Where?" Chuck asked as he immediately looked around

"Under the tea kettle. I was making tea and trying to get dressed at the same time" Jenny told him before a silence came between them "What are you doing here?" she asked

"You're my wife. I kind of thought I should see you" Chuck said

"You thought you should or you wanted to?" Jenny asked feeling a little slighted by his choice of words

"I thought I should" Chuck said "It all means the same Jen" he sighed

"It really doesn't….but I don't want to get into a grammatical argument because I think you're smart enough to recognize the difference in meaning" Jenny replied

"Glad to see we're staying consistent on all things" Chuck laughed to himself as even the little things were beginning to get picked at between them

"We should probably come up with a reason as to why we won't be together for Thanksgiving" Jenny suggested as Chuck seemed a bit surprised by the statement

"Yeah" Chuck said giving a dry scoff to hide his disappointment, which Jenny couldn't help but notice "I take it you'll be at the Waldorf's" he said

"Humphrey and Waldorf Thanksgiving, it's sort of becoming a tradition" Jenny said

"Must be nice" Chuck smiled weakly

"What will you do?" Jenny asked

"The same…working" Chuck shrugged "Thanksgiving was just another day to get turkey for no good reason to my family" he said

"What about your mom? You two aren't going to do anything?" Jenny asked "I kind of thought she'd be glad to have you all to herself for the holidays" she said

"Traditions don't exist in the Bass household" Chuck said "A turkey meal from the cook and then quarter numbers coming in" he said

"Sounds like…fun" Jenny smiled weakly

"It always is" Chuck said before he leaned in slowly to kiss her on the cheek "Happy Thanksgiving" he told her

"Same to you" Jenny replied sadly as Chuck turned to walk towards the door "It's not too late to start new traditions Chuck" she quickly blurted out

"Even if I wanted to, I don't think I'm in the mood to start new traditions" Chuck smiled weakly before he turned to leave.


Getting out of the taxi, Tyler couldn't help but feel like he was entering into the haunted mansion where all the horrors would take place with only one shred of hope to survive. To his surprise, The Sparks had a mansion like house that was in the suburbs of New York that was about twenty minutes out of the city. So much of what he had learned of the Upper Eastside was that the hustle and bustle of New York was the background of their tragic lives but to see the drastic difference in a nicely maintained home, Tyler would almost believe that the Sparks were a normal family. Walking up towards the door, Tyler prepared to knock but found that to useless as his presence was immediately felt once the maid opened the door. Coming down the staircase, Georgina was caught off guard to see Tyler enter the house with the maid right behind him.

"What are you doing here?" Georgina immediately questioned

"Shall I take your coat?" The maid asked as Georgina walked up to them while Tyler hesitantly took his coat off to hand to the maid.

"I was summoned" Tyler replied

"Let me guess, my mother" Georgina concluded "For what?" she asked

"Do you even bother to talk to your mother? You know since you two were in cahoots to steal a company, I'd think you'd go over the fact that you have me crossing over enemy lines due to financial gain" Tyler said

"Financial gain? Who knew you had a price" Georgina replied sarcastically "With my apparent knowledge of how little you can tolerate me, I don't think I would like to spend my holiday in your company….oops, there goes that word. Company, in which you don't not have" she replied

"You'll have to mind my granddaughters manners" George said as he emerged with his cup of coffee in hand before he extended his hand towards Tyler "George Sparks" he introduced himself as Tyler reluctantly shook the mans hand

"You'll have to excuse him, he hates all things Sparks. Business interferes with all things play it seems" Georgina as she looked on at how much Tyler was hating the interaction with her family

"Should you be so blunt? A ladies sharp tongue is the very sword she can die by" George told her

"Forgive me grandfather" Georgina said as she seemed to revert back to a reluctant little girl to her grandfather

"Your mother thought it'd be best to have the church see one of the founding families engage in a time honored holiday" George said "I trust you know of it's importance in the church?" he asked

"How can I forget, we only live and die by the creed of the church" Georgina replied through gritted teeth

"George, we're ready for you to lead the prayer circle" Peter Sparks, Georgina's father said as he poked his head out

"If you'll excuse me. I have a few lost souls to tend to, I trust you'll come in soon for your own prayer with the group" George said as he looked over at Georgina

"I'm in a rush just at the thought of it" Georgina replied sarcastically as he sighed deeply at her sarcasm before he walked off

"Prayer circle, church, and lost souls? What type of religious cult do you guys have going on?" Tyler questioned

"You know little about my family, don't you?" Georgina said as she could immediately sense the sarcastic comment that Tyler was forming in his head "Besides the obvious. My family or at least my grandfather was the past priest to St. John Cathedral" she told him

"That much I'm aware of" Tyler said

"Yeah well, he's the helm of the family and our lives have to emulate his so called creed, in which he's told others to follow…." Georgina began to say

"And then there is you" Tyler replied

"Let's just say my grandfather is not knowledgeable of all my past and present deeds in fear of his swift, merciful hand sending me into eternal damnation" Georgina said

"Then I guess I was right…this will be every bit of the horror movie I knew it to be" Tyler smiled weakly as the sheer thought of spending another minute in the household was sickening

"If Ophelia summoned you, then you're here for a purpose and once it's fulfilled you can go back to your hatred" Georgina said as she began to walk towards the kitchen "Dinner is served at four on the dot, you shouldn't be late but until then…God bless you" she told him before she left the room

"Why do I feel like that phrase was still an evil one?" Tyler questioned as he spoke aloud to himself. Rubbing his head, Tyler sighed as he couldn't help but notice the oversized painting that hung on the wall as if were supposed to be the thing to notice above all else in the house "Katie Sparks" he read to himself once he was close enough to read.


Looking on at the replacement Dorota make the bed, Blair clenched on tight to her glass of cranberry juice as she watched the woman skeptically. It had only been rare moments when she had seen the woman but she knew that in those rarities that she always began to question as to where Dorota was since such high standards were to follow as to what she was used to from her longtime and trusted maid. Putting the final touches on the bed, the woman smiled over at Blair while Blair just forced a smile as the woman left Blair's longtime bedroom at the penthouse while Dan entered the room with another duffel bag. Dropping the bag on to the floor, Dan groaned as he walked over towards the bed to take a seat on the edge of the bed. Walking towards the door, Blair poked her head out to track the woman's whereabouts before she closed the door quickly and leaned up against it.

"I swear I've seen her before" Blair stated suspiciously

"She probably works through the agency" Dan replied

"It's like a pattern with her. I see her and then I go in to immediate mode of where is my Dorota. I swear she's trying to go after Dorota's job….like Dorota sabotage or something" Blair said

"Oh c'mon, no one is going after Dorota's job" Dan quickly discredited the idea "You just expected your not so grand return to the penthouse to be filled with Dorota waiting hand and foot on you" he said

"I did not" Blair said "Okay, I may have thought that the return to the penthouse would feature all childhood memories. I saw you talking to my father, what about?" she asked as she took a seat at her desk

"I was just explaining why we have to stay a few days at the penthouse and not our home; which is without electricity, water, and gas" Dan stated

"We have internet" Blair stated as a bit of hope

"We just don't have the electricity to power said internet" Dan smiled sarcastically "I'm just trying to fathom why you felt the need to buy such an item…." he began to say

"That item is not such an item, it is the item of the season" Blair replied

"Okay well I'd like my seasons to be spent in my own home" Dan replied

"This isn't that bad" Blair said

"It really is" Dan replied "Blair, each day that we're late in not paying our bills, we get charged extra…I don't know if you know this but we're on a fixed income" he said

"If we're spending that much on said utilities then I highly believe we're overpaying. We don't even use that much water and the electric company should drop their price because clearly they can't see scented candles are becoming the new must haves" Blair reasoned

"Or you could stop overpaying for things" Dan suggested

"Meaning what? I spend what I've always spent on things" Blair said

"And that's the newly apparent problem" Dan told her "Maybe…maybe we should entertain a bud…" he began to say as Blair drew up with fear

"Humphrey don't you dare…" Blair began to say

"Go on a budget" Dan stated as Blair just glared at him "This is a joint account and in one day you managed to take said joint account that is for bill purposes and blow it on a purse and clutch" he said

"I didn't blow it, I merely made a purchase of a hefty value because I thought we could afford it" Blair said

"Well we can't" Dan told her "Yes, we have the current dollar amount to but we have to use dollar amount to build towards our ultimate goal" he said

"Okay so I have to budget while you, just what, spend freely at whatever bar you and Carter go to? I'm fully aware of your spending habits and I say nothing" Blair questioned

"But I don't use our one joint account to do so" Dan reasoned "You can't compare four dollar beers to four thousand dollar arm candy to the latest fashion junky" he said

"Fashion is art, beer is a means to be a jackass and screw up your life either verbally or physically. I'm not seeing the level of importance" Blair stated

"I hate to say this but you would see the importance because you don't have a job" Dan hesitantly told her

"Oh, Humphrey you've got nerve" Blair laughed as she folded her arms

"By no means I say that to insult you, but I'm just raising the point of why it not damaging to make a four dollar purchase compared to a four thousand dollar purchase" Dan said

"Once upon a time I did have a job, a job in which I made a pretty good amount for a starter job. What happened to that money? Did you frivolously spend that away?" Blair questioned

"By all means no, you my dear sweetheart, put what was your half in the joint account and then kept the rest. So what happened to it is on you" Dan smiled sarcastically as Blair just glared at him

"I'm a student, that in itself is a job" Blair then pointed out

"That you are, which places you in the realm of regularity. Regular college students live on a….wait for it, a budget!" Dan declared "I'm not telling you to get a job because I know my job can cover our living expenses that are reasonable, with a bit of penny pinching this next month we can make it with electricity and water, we'll just eat over here to save cost…." he began to say

"I like how you just made this decision and expect me to go along with it" Blair laughed to herself

"As the only one that's working, we have no choice. Blair, if you remain a student, we have to live on a budget" Dan told her

"You're not forcing a budget on me. If I budget out the purses then you have to budget out the beers" Blair stated

"They're a meaningless cost compared to what you just spent!" Dan declared as Blair got up from her seat

"I'm keeping the purse until you give up the beer" Blair told him

"I can't just puke up beer that's no longer in my system" Dan sighed

"Then that's called a you problem, not mine. Produce the beer then I'll hand over the Marc Jacobs proudly, until then our budget proposal has been placed on mute" Blair smiled on

"It really hasn't" Dan laughed as Harold opened up the door with a smile ear to ear at the sight of the couple

"There they are!" Harold smiled proudly as Roman joined him "The couple we all aspire to be" he teased as Roman just laughed along with Harold

"Yes, we're so in love. I hope we can budget our happiness because I wouldn't want to overspend in that area either" Blair replied sarcastically as she glared on at Dan before she left the room

"Universally using the meaning of budget might actually help you accept that you need to do it!" Dan declared as he quickly got up from his spot on the bed "Yes, we're so in love. Happy Thanksgiving" he said through gritted teeth before he stormed out of the room leaving Roman and Harold in confusion

"Did I say something?" Harold questioned

Meanwhile….

Stepping off the elevator, Jenny and Rufus were quickly greeted by a Dorota replacement. Typically they were used to the maid services of the Waldorf penthouse but only by that of Dorota. The more and more they were becoming involved with the Waldorf family they were beginning to adjust to the Upper Eastside life but this woman in particular just seemed to be an uncanny resemblance of Dorota. Handing of their coats, Jenny smiled at the woman before she noticed Blair and Dan bickering as they came down the staircase. Waving over to Cyrus as he sat off in the living room arranging the selected pieces of literature he wanted to read afterwards, Jenny could only hope his selection was of few rather than a trilogies worth of stuff.

"Hey guys" Jenny smiled "I brought apple cider" she said holding up the bottle in her hand "Martenelli, Dan's fave" she smiled

"See how she brought something, cutting the cost of something that didn't need to be spent" Dan said to Blair

"And notice how money was spent on a drink as opposed to an important item that would better serve the dinner….thank you, you could just put on the table" Blair muttered back towards Dan before turning her attention towards Jenny

"I thought we didn't have to bring anything" Jenny said

"Yeah, I would've brought something…" Rufus began to say

"Nonsense, you didn't have to bring anything. Dorota has covered every facet of a Thanksgiving meal. Well, besides the famous Harold pies" Eleanor said as she walked towards them to give them a quick hug

"There be the beautiful host" Rufus laughed as he let go of his embrace of Eleanor

"Where's Dorota?" Blair asked as she looked around "I don't smell the aroma as of yet" she said

"That is because there has been a change in plans" Harold said as he hung up the phone as he came down the staircase

"What kind of change?" Blair asked as she turned to look at her father

"The kind of change that has Dorota unable to coming in" Harold sighed

"Oh no, what happened?" Jenny asked

"She is sick with the stomach flu" Harold said "Vanya says that she spent most of her day off throwing up and that they're not pregnant by any chance" he said a bit confused by the last part of what he remembered of his conversation with Vanya

"So we'll just have the Dorota replacement serve the food then" Blair said as they all turned their attention towards the woman, who stood eagerly waiting for something to do "She still creeps me out" she muttered to everyone so that the woman couldn't hear

"That's another problem" Harold said "Dorota bought the food but it isn't prepared…which means, we have no Thanksgiving meal prepared" he said


Making her way into her bedroom, Serena quickly put her purse on her bed before she followed suit by flopping on to her bed. Resting her head against the pillow, Serena rolled over to look up at the ceiling as she could only hope to avoid the mayhem that was to ensue once she would head back out to the living room for the interview. Reluctantly agreeing due to familial reasons, Serena sought this interview as a means to finally put an end to the speculation that surrounded Jason's death. Though she was weary to think about her relationship in general with him, Serena knew escaping the questions would only make it seem like she had something to hide. Getting comfortable in her bed, Serena looked over out her window as just took a few moments to just think.

[Flashback]

Pacing the floor nervously, the young blonde feverishly thought of excuse after excuse to explain her actions. As the hours progressed it was becoming unrealistic to think that her parents didn't know about the aircraft carrier incident that was cementing her as the Upper Eastsides It-Girl. A few texts from Blair, Serena was beginning to see that she was becoming an overnight sensation in the city and she couldn't deny that there was some sort of fascination to the idea. People liked her, people were interested in her life and as odd as it sounded, she was intrigued by the idea to know that she was someone's fascination. Of course she felt there were certain facets of her life that no one could have access to since that was celebrity code, but Serena was beginning to see that her presence was garnishing attention whether she wanted it or not, and fighting it would prove useless.

"You seem deep in contemplation" William said before he flashed his cunning smile that made Serena's heart flutter

"Dad, you're out of the office early" Serena said

"I don't want to spend our Thanksgiving cooped up in the confines of the office. I figure I should enjoy this winter wonderland" William smiled as his office door opened up with a young brunette coming out, with her clothes looking a bit disheveled. Noticing the woman, Serena couldn't help but notice her father's lack of disclosure of affection he had for the woman as she looked on. Serena could think that her father was cheating with the woman, but he would prove you to think otherwise with just the flash of his smile.

"Happy Thanksgiving Mr. Van der Woodsen" The brunette said

"Thank you. I'll see you back in the city for further inquiries on the Hillman chart" William told the girl as she nodded to oblige the statement before she left. Hearing the band set up in the ballroom of the oversized house, Serena glanced over to hear a familiar melody that the band played for warm up with a few moment of fine tuning in between as the melody played on "You like this?" he asked

"It's the song you play" Serena smiled "Isn't she lovely" she told her father

"Aw, you do pay attention to your old man" William smiled as he walked up towards her to offer his hand to her "Let's see if you have the moves to outshine me" he said as Serena couldn't help but smile at her father before she took his hand. Leading her out on to the dance floor, Serena couldn't help but feel like a princess as she danced with her father.

"So I wanted to talk to you about the whole field trip incident" Serena said breaking the silence between them

"Uh huh, what about?" William asked as he kept his ear on the melody playing

"You don't know?" Serena asked "About the whole white dress or my perception of the white dress?" she asked a bit surprised as he showed no clue of knowing "It's in the society pages" she stated

"Serena, I view the society pages as pure fodder to service the masses that think they know about people they no means of coming in contact with on a regular basis" William said before spinning her around

"Would it be safe to say you know any inkling of what happened?" Serena asked

"No clue" William quickly replied "Whatever happened that has you cursing yourself, forget it. You're a girl with much adventure ahead of you and there will be slip ups along the way" he said

"I wish mom would see it that way" Serena laughed

"Your mother has far worse in her days to not dare reach such levels of hypocrisy" William laughed "Lillian van der Woodsen is no pillar in the prim and proper community" he said

"That's where Eric got it from, the whole prim and proper" Serena laughed as she caught on to Eric's new found vocab

"I'm not mad or upset by any means Serena by anything you could've done or will do. I in fact believe that things need to change" William told her as they began to move about in the ball room with such ease "I happen to think we need to do more dancing because clearly I need the practice. So what do you say? We dance again and then again?" he asked

"I would like that" Serena said as she took a moment to beam at the fact that she would get to feel like a princess with her father again "And you're not so bad" she told him

"You're sparing my feelings now" William laughed "But I assure you, I only read the society pages when it becomes apparent that someone is trying to get my attention, everything else….it means nothing" he told her

[End of Flashback]

A single blink of the eye had brought her back to her harsh realities to know that she had once again drifted off into another memory of her father. Staring out at the city that had long since claimed her as it's fascination, Serena could remember vividly as it all began and in some ways ended for the blonde. Just as she got caught up in the history of it all, Serena was torn from her reverie by a quick knock at the door by her mother.

"Honestly Serena, you should be dressed by now. Your interview will be in less than thirty minutes and you look as if you came fresh from a fish market" Lilly told her daughter as Serena sat up slowly in the bed

"I actually want to talk to you…" Serena began to say

"I'm sure but your publicist is outside and she wants to prep you. So you need to get dressed so you can do this interview" Lilly told her "If all goes well with this interview, you might actually get off the society pages and kill your longtime membership as newsworthy on that fodder" she muttered before she turned to leave.


Gathered in the living room, a sense of despair passed through as everyone saw their Thanksgiving hopes dashed with the news of a sick Dorota. Spirited by opening up a fresh bottle of win had made for a good start but the eventual realization that they'd be drinking on an empty stomach began to plague them individually. Grabbing the bottle of champagne from her father, Blair took a swig before realizing there was nothing left in the bottle. Holding her tongue out, Blair held the bottle as she hoped that some drop would fall on to her tongue to quench her thirst for more. Pouting as her hope dwindled down to none, Blair put the bottle on the table before she quickly rose to her feet. Accessing the depression they were all in, Blair felt like she was trapped in a Thanksgiving nightmare with little hope of survival. Pacing the floor, running her hand through her hair, Blair ran every thought possible through her mind on how to save this situation.

"Maybe we can sing a song?" Jenny suggested in a depressed tone as she rested her head on her father's shoulder "Songs cheer me up" she said

"They should since you're the only one that thinks you can actually sing" Dan replied

"Hey! I'm sitting right here" Jenny stated

"Sorry Jen. I'm hungry and still thirsty, anyone is fair game" Dan muttered

"I should know" Blair added as Dan just looked on at her "There has got to be something" she then stated

"We have food, we just don't know how to cook it" Eleanor reasoned

"How is that possible?! We have a Rufus Humphrey that can cook, surely he can whip up a Thanksgiving meal satisfactory enough" Blair reasoned

"Yeah, I don't do turkeys. My specialty is pasta, salad, and waffles" Rufus said

"How is salad a specialty for you?" Harold asked

"It's the vinegrette" Dan and Jenny spoke in unisons

"I never had your salad" Eleanor chimed in

"A salad sounds so good right now" Jenny said in a mode of desperation

"Salad is all that sounds good" Roman added as he clenched on tight to Harold's hand while Jenny couldn't help but turn her attention towards the green pillow that Rufus was holding

"I'd do anything for a salad" Jenny said as she leaned towards the pillow as her eyes became hungry for it "With the vinegrette and walnuts with the little cranberries in it" she went on to say as Blari couldn't help but notice Jenny's desperation towards the pillow "I want a salad!" she then declared before pouncing on the pillow. Quickly grabbing the girl, Cyrus did all he could to hold her back while Rufus protected the pillow trying to keep it safe and before he knew it, Roman began to pounce on the pillow.

"I want the vinegrette!" Roman said as he tried to cling on to the pillow

"Stop it!" Blair declared as she wanted to get everyone's attention before everyone went mad "Look at us, we're attacking green pillows thinking their salads. We're drinking champagne like it's water, like we're on some deserted island without a Tom Hanks and the stupid volleyball" she told them

"I wish we had Tom Hanks, he would've made coconut juice with fire roasted bug kabobs" Roman pouted "I wonder if he ever tried to make coconut shrimp" he then pandered to himself

"We don't have Tom Hanks, we have us. With us, I'm sure we can make some sort of a meal with the food we have in there. I'm positive that with one gay couple, a newly bankrupted socialite, a delusional rocker, a wife that is trying to hide the fact that her husband isn't here, a lawyer with no clear law field, and a penny pinching writer; we can create a Thanksgiving" Blair said trying to rally the troops

"Yeah, I just love the fact you just insulted us all in a speech that was meant to inspire us" Jenny replied after a moment of awkward silence

"Entertainment law. I do Entertainment…." Cyrus began to say

"That's it, I'm buying us a meal. This is ridiculous" Blair said before she walked over towards the phone with Dan running close behind

"Oh, I think not. You've done enough damage financially" Dan said grabbing the phone from her hand

"Humphrey, give me the phone. I'm hungry and tired, I can guarantee you that any action taken will be detrimental to your health because I have little regard for it at this moment" Blair told him through gritted teeth before she grabbed the phone back and began to dial. Noticing that she wasn't shoving her rebellion in his face, Dan couldn't help come to the realization of what was going on

"Our cell phones are turned off, aren't they?" Dan asked as Blair tried to maintain her composure "Look Blair, we clearly can't afford to sponsor a meal, and I'm not going to let the desperation of food allow you to think we can" Dan told her

"Dan's right. We all are acting out of desperation. We have food, which is more than what some people have on this holiday" Eleanor said "If we want to eat, then we use our resources to prepare our meal. Divide and conquer" she said "It's simple, if we want Thanksgiving then we make it from hand" she told them as it felt like the rising moment in a movie, where everyone looked on with a bit of hope that Thanksgiving was not completely at a loss.


With his notepad in hand, Tyler looked on as the camera crew walked around in the background as they filmed the family eating their Thanksgiving feast. On occasion, Ophelia would make small talk that she hoped would inspire his article but the more he sat, the less he understood his true reason for being there. In the back of his mind, the idea of Georgina setting this up so that in some twisted way he'd forgive him ran rampant but didn't go too far as she was enjoying the dinner just as much as he would. George would spout on bible phrases and go in depth of what the meanings meant in comparison to the modern times, which felt like an on going lecture that only Ophelia and Peter along with the two other church members they had invited over. As Tyler grew more and more creeped out, Tyler couldn't help but notice the empty chair that had a plate with actual food sitting in front of it. Tyler had thought that the maid had made a mistake and thought a guest was coming, but the constant checking of the plate made him see that the empty seat was intended.

"Have you gotten anything good?" Ophelia asked as she smiled on at Tyler, breaking him out of his thoughts before a silence came between them

"I'm not so sure what I should write" Tyler reasoned "I mean the dinner is lovely, but…I really don't know why I'm here" he said

"Are you not a writer?" George asked

"Yes" Tyler replied "But I don't think bible phrase discussions are going to serve as riveting in the society pages on a family that has garnered the attention of the Upper Eastside, with an action I have no support of" he said as the silence continued

"In other words, this dinner is a creep fest" Georgina said finally breaking the silence "Can we cut the cameras, I'm sure bible fest two thousand will suffice the members of St. John" she said as the crew reluctantly agreed to go along with Georgina's request

"You've got the sharpest of tongue Georgina" George said sternly as he looked on at his granddaughter

"And yet I'm the only one willing to call it as is. He shouldn't be here, he's not family. This is supposed to be family not some press conference for the members of the congregation" Georgina stated

"The very members that are concerned with your behavior. Yes, I see your clear reluctance towards the manner" George replied sarcastically as Georgina looked over at her parents

"All of which I'm sure my parents have filled you in on" Georgina replied as she kept her eyes on her mother "How much have you told him?" she asked

"Enough to make us contemplate your rebirth" Peter said

"My rebirth?" Georgina questioned "Does that not sound crazy and awkward to you? I'm not just going to get baptized every time I don't meet grandfathers approval. People sin, but forgiveness is also the testament of good that can come in this world" she said

"Yes, but your sins seem to be the Appalachians of sins" Ophelia sighed as she put her fork down "Will you excuse our guests please?" she asked as she looked over at the maid

"No, please don't. I think our guest came to witness my rebirth or shame, so please, let's show them how sinful I am. Let's show the error of my ways, put on the good holy show like we always do" Georgina replied as she leaned back in her chair

"I really don't think I should be here for this. Clearly this is a family matter…" Tyler began to say

"No, take note!" Georgina turned to yell at him "C'mon mother, you orchestrated this. Lead away" she dared her mother

"I don't think you're in the position to make demands" Ophelia replied

"I'm in a lot of positions" Georgina smiled "I've had premarital sex by the way" she told her grandfather as Tyler tensed up "I've done drugs on numerous occasions, even sold drugs. My greatest memory was when I sold my show pony for a pound of angel dust so I could stomach the revival you guys sent me off to, good times by the way" she said with a cunning smile that only angered her family

"That's enough" Peter told her

"I've had sex with girls, which makes me bisexual because let's face it, I'm a harlot of all kinds. Sexual gratification, how does that sound" Georgina said "I took money from the church fund…." she said

"That's enough!" George yelled as he slammed his hand down on the table

"Is it?! Is it ever going to be enough for you guys to realize that this family isn't normal!" Georgina replied angrily

"The only abnormal is you" Peter said tearfully "It's times like this where I wish that Katie was here to guide you through your troubled times" he said as Georgina just shook her head in disbelief

"Yeah well, I killed her" Georgina replied "It's even in death that she manages to be better than me. People mourn her til this day, my parents build shrines of her, my own grandfather that I named after speaks of her like she's some damn prophet to all that was good in this world. Every bit of her life is still here and she's dead, she's dead. Her room is still tended to, her seat still gets a placemat to let others know that they can't sit there….it's an empty chair, someone should sit there!" she declared

"You know not what you say" Peter said

"I know, I've always known. She's not here but you guys keep acting like she's coming back. You keep trying to save me from my sins so I can be somewhat worthy of getting your love and devotion, when you can't acknowledge that I killed her. I killed my sister, and you all have yet to acknowledge that or wonder why the hell would a sibling kill another sibling" Georgina said as tears welled up in her eyes "I'm not Katie, nor will I ever be her" she said and in that moment, Tyler could actually see some bit of truth in Georgina, some bit of pain that she had yet to show to anyone. Silence filled the room as it the tension was becoming more apparent to everyone.

"You'd think you'd be grateful" George said as Georgina looked towards him

"I am grateful" Georgina said in a bare whisper "But I could only be grateful if my family allows me to be, if my family accepts me, sins and all" she said

"I won't accept your sins" George said "I just want you to show gratitude to your Lord and your savior" he said as Georgina just laughed in disbelief

"And why is that grandpa?" Georgina asked

"Because it was your life that was saved, when it was in process of death" George said as Ophelia and Peter sighed in frustration

"What does that mean?" Georgina asked

"It means you should love life, spend every second of it devoted to God because it is he that saved you. It is God that put the fear in your mother. It is God that you are here and you spit on him, you insult his mercy by leading this despicable life you have for yourself" George told her as he stared her dead in the eyes as Georgina looked back in utter confusion "It is God that stopped the process of abortion for you to live" he said as a heavy tension came over the room with the revelation. Taking it all in, Georgina looked towards her parents while she bit down on her tongue to stop any ounce of tears that wanted to come.

"Well, Thanksgiving does leave you thankful at the end of the day but I must say you came out the fool in this one mother" Georgina said as she got up from her seat "You should've aborted me as planned…saved us all the pain and the unnecessary niceties" she said before she walked out of the dining area

"I believe it is time that you leave" George told Tyler

"I agree" Tyler replied softly as he rose from his seat to be escorted towards the door

"And I trust that what was said in the confines of our home will remain in our home?" George asked stopping Tyler dead in his tracks. Slowly turning to face the elderly man "Do on to others as you would want others to do on to you" he stated

"No sir, I don't think that'd be fitting with what has transpired between your family and mine. I believe Roman 12:17 could serve this moment best. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all" Tyler said before he turned to leave.


Each working in small groups to prepare the Thanksgiving feast, Dan was proud to see that the kitchen at the Waldorf penthouse was finally being put to good use by the very family that had inhabited the house. Harold and Rufus were cooking the turkey with occasional help from Dan, Eleanor and Jenny were making appetizers, Cyrus and Roman were making the desserts, while Blair snapped the green beans off at the table. Noticing that Blair seemed a bit calm, Dan tore away from his duties to join her at the table while the others carried on. Glancing over at Dan, Blair couldn't help keep her pace as she didn't want to be deterred from being a step closer towards food. For a few moments, Dan and Blair sat in awkward silence as it seemed they were trying to figure out what to say to each other with the looming problem hanging over their head. Getting up from her seat once she was finished with her green beans, Blair placed the bowl on the counter before making her way out of the kitchen with Dan following close behind.

"Blair, wait" Dan called out as he grabbed her hand to stop her from heading upstairs "I don't want to spend Thanksgiving with us being upset with each other" he told her

"Who says I'm upset? I just think you're a hypocrite is all. Glad to see you've returned to the original Humphrey I know" Blair replied

"Okay that's a bit harsh but how am I hypocrite in this instance?" Dan asked her

"Because you spend money on stupid things but I don't propose a budget when you do so" Blair told him

"I propose a budget because we can't just stay at your mom's house every time we mismanage money and are unable to pay our bills" Dan replied

"You act like this is an every day occurrence" Blair said

"No, but circumstances are different for us now. I'm the main one working, you're going to school, and…." Dan began to say

"And what? My family is poor now? Bankruptcy just places us in the clout of middle class living?" Blair questioned

"It means that you can't just spend like you used to" Dan said "Things have to change whether you want it to or not" he said

"You may have been raised in a middle class lifestyle, but I haven't. I'm not going to pretend and say that I could get used to it because I won't. I like expensive things, dumb things that are expensive because that's what I'm used to" Blair told him

"I understand that…" Dan began to say

"No, you really don't. You proposing this budget is insulting because you trust me, you should trust that I'm not some spoiled rich kid that spends on every whim" Blair said

"You spent our bill money? That account is specifically for the home, in which we live in. It's not an account to go shopping on, so why you would ever use that card for such a purchase is beyond me" Dan said

"I'm in fashion Dan. I'm surrounded by people that have the latest and know the latest information. Surprise, surprise they also know that tragic downfall of the Waldorf family. Do you know what it's like to be in line to buy a bottle of water and people just stare and wonder if this is the moment my family's blatant financial loss will come up in an embarrassing way?" Blair questioned

"I never thought of it that way" Dan sighed

"No you didn't because if you did, you'd understand why a snide comment from Bex would infuriate me…." Blair began to say

"Wait, you spoke to Bex?" Dan asked

"Yes or no, I ran into outside of Marc Jacobs and…." Blair began to say

"And she said something which made you feel like you had to buy the bag. Oh Blair, you can't just buy things out of spite" Dan sighed

"Forget it. Forget it. I'm done talking about this" Blair reasoned "I'm not doing the budget, you can have your account and I have mine, so you don't worry about taking care of me because I can do it on my own. I'm not conforming to the middle class because you think it's best and you shouldn't ask me to, if you love me, you love me for me. So here…" she said as she walked over towards her purse to grab the credit card out of her wallet to hand over to Dan "Take the card. I wouldn't want you to think I'm spending up anymore of your precious money" she told him before she quickly ran upstairs. Wanting to run behind her, Dan knew it might be best to let her have a moment alone as opposed to pushing the issue. Running his hand through his hair, Dan sighed in frustration as all he could wonder was how to get through to Blair.

"Something wrong?" Eleanor asked as she nearly surprised Dan

"Uh no. I'm…I'm simply trying to persuade your daughter to implement a limited amount of spending" Dan said as he forced a smile

"Aw, you're telling her to go on a budget. Telling a woman to budget is like telling her she's fat" Eleanor said

"I never said she was fat" Dan quickly corrected

"That's what we perceive in some odd way. It'll be fine, she just needs to vent and process then she'll come around" Eleanor smiled as she rubbed his back

"Let's hope" Dan laughed softly

"I actually am glad I got you alone, I wanted to know if you were available any time this week?" Eleanor asked

"Yeah, I mean I'm working on this non-existent story that I have to write in a matter of two weeks. I think I can pencil you in for some time, should I ask Blair once she's not mad?" Dan asked

"No, I just want to spend time with you" Eleanor smiled

"Okay" Dan said skeptically

"Hey, I kind of need your help in here. Harold is trying to add pineapple to an all ready burned turkey" Jenny said as she quickly ran in to inform Eleanor and Dan of the progress in the kitchen.


Sitting idle in her chair, Serena on occasion saw herself looking on at the spotlight that was shining heavily on her as she sat. In the corner of her eye, Serena could see Richard and Lilly standing off listening to every word she would say to the interview as they prayed that this would be a runaway hit that the family would need to be in good standing in the elite community they lived in. Doing her best to block out much of what her stepfather and mother wanted, Serena's only focus was to just make it through the interview unscathed and back in the good graces of the city that she resided in. The interviewer was nice for the most part that allowed Serena to feel a bit more comfortable than she anticipated but still she kept her guard up as the topic of Jason wasn't something she had talk about much.

"Before we begin, I just want to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving" The woman told Serena

"Thank you, same to you" Serena smiled

"So how did you meet Jason?" The woman asked

"We met in California. I was there visiting family and I was out with a few friends, when we bumped into each other at a restaurant" Serena recalled

"Was it like a whirlwind romance?" The woman asked

"Sort of. Jason had this smile that went for him, and I just fell for it" Serena laughed at the memory of the first encounter

"The James Dean type smile?" The woman asked as she joined in on the laughter

"I would say so" Serena said "He was enchanting in the best of the ways" she said as a flicker of sadness appeared on her face

"What was the moment you knew you loved him?" The woman asked as Serena stalled for a moment as the realization slowly came to her as she kept thinking back to the moment she first met Jason "Is it hard to remember?" the woman then asked as she noticed Serena's long paus

"….when he, when he asked me to dance" Serena said as tears welled up in her eyes "He said after the dance that he wanted to dance again…." she said as tears fell from her eyes as the scary resemblance before she came back to the realization of the present.

[Flashback]

It was the middle of the night when Serena felt as sleep was hard to come by. The night had been that of an enchanted evening, in which she felt like nothing short of a princess in her father's eyes. The family had their usual fifty guests over to entertain for the holiday, but an ounce of attention that her father made her feel like the dance he had promised would be a lifetime of repayment until he was old and gray. Getting a bottle of water from the fridge, Serena headed back towards the staircase before she heard that her parents were still up. Not one for eavesdropping, Serena couldn't possibly understand why they'd be arguing with the beautiful night they all had together. Walking towards their room, Serena kneeled down to listen on to her parents in what sounded like her father packing.

"This is crazy William" Lilly told her husband

"No, this is brilliant. Think of the good this would do Lillian, this is an opportunity" William said excitedly

"You leaving for Africa isn't amazing, not when it puts you a year away from your family" Lilly said

"Doctors beyond borders is just a mere thought, but if we do good in Africa then we could possibly pave the way for a bright future. I could open a practice in New York without depending on financial backing from Cece" William explained

"Don't put this on my mother. This is just another half cocked adventure that makes it easier for you to be away than to be at home with your family" Lilly said

"Oh, don't start that Lillian!" William griped "I'm here, I'm always here. I can't just stay in one spot like you want me to. I asked you if you wanted to go" he said

"But what about the children?! That's what you seem to forget in all of this while you run after your adventures. You're a father, you're supposed to be a husband but you fail to be anything but part time in both those areas" Lilly told him

"I can have it all. I know that sounds like a trivial response but I can have that, I deserve to have that" William reasoned

"Why? Because you managed to stick around for a whole day" Lilly laughed "Bravo William, you really know how to shower us with your presence. All of which included you screwing you're so called brunette" she said

"I'm not going to fight over this Lillian" William told her

"Of course not because that might actually mean you have to care" Lilly told him as a silence came between them "I went to see a divorce attorney the other day. I was hoping that the holidays would make me change my mind but I see it's all the same, just a different location" she said

"Let's not act like you're mother of the year. You use our children as props in society events to show that some extension of you that still exists" William said after a moment of silence came between them in what was a heated argument "You won't divorce me. It's been bad, it still could get bad…but you won't divorce me" he said

"And what makes you so sure of that?" Lilly asked with tears welled up in her eyes

"You'd rather die than go back to the life of Lillian Rhodes. That's what would happen Lillian, you'd go back to her. You don't keep my name, you don't get to keep your elitist attitude you've managed to acquire over the years. None of that, all you will be is the girl I first knew you as, the groupie chasing after love in the backseats of cars" William said before Lilly quickly slapped him across the face

"I hate you" Lilly said through gritted teeth

"But you love this life, and we both know you wouldn't leave this for all the diamonds in the world" William told her "I've got a plane to catch. You should probably tell the kids when you get back to New York. Eric would be too distraught to travel back to the states if he knew" he said as he put his coat on

"What about Serena?" Lilly asked as she wiped away tears "You do realize we have a daughter that seems to think you're some good guy" she laughed

"Serena won't need your comfort, she'll be hurt but she'll manage" William said as he paused for a moment before he walked towards the door. In that instance, Serena stifled her tears before she quickly ducked away in one the closets in the hallway, hoping that her father wouldn't have some need for any item that was in the closet. Covering her mouth, Serena fell to her knees as she muffled her sobs, trying and hoping her father wouldn't hear her.

[End of Flashback]

Quickly coming back to the reality of the moment, Serena looked around nervously as she saw numerous eyes on her. Feeling her heart began to pace at a thousand miles per hour, Serena did the only thing that she felt comfortable in doing in that moment. Quickly taking the mic off of her, Serena excused herself from the interview as she headed upstairs towards her bedroom. Caught off guard by Serena's sudden actions, Lilly came up with a quick reasoning of mourning that Serena was still going through before she rushed upstairs to check on her daughter. Making it to Serena's room, Lilly saw her daughter pace the floor as she was becoming more and more of a nervous wreck before her very eyes.

"Serena, what's wrong?" Lilly asked after she closed the door behind her

"Cancel the interview. I can't do this…I don't know why I even agreed to do this" Serena told her mother

"I know it's hard but think about what this will do…" Lilly tried to tell her

"I can't do this!" Serena yelled as tears fell from her eyes "I can't sit there and talk about him, not after everything" she said

"It's because of everything that is the precisely the reason you need to. Serena, you want to be rid of all the accusations and rumors, this is your opportunity" Lilly told her

"No, sitting there and talking about him won't help get rid of anything" Serena reasoned "Nothing about dredging up good memories of my relationship will do me any good…not when there was so many bad" she cried

"What? What are you talking about?" Lilly asked as she stood clueless before Serena began to sob

"Jason was just like daddy" Serena cried "In every way he was just like daddy. I never knew until now why I stayed, I never fully understood how I could keep rationalize the things he did…but it was all because he was like daddy" she said through the tears

"William had good qualities, I can understand that you look for that in your boyfriend" Lilly reasoned

"No, not in that way. Jason was like daddy in the ways that made you hate him" Serena said "Five years ago in Crans, you and daddy were arguing, he had just told you he was leaving for that Doctors Beyond Borders. You told him you were planning to divorce him but he said you would never leave him because you couldn't survive be who you were…" she began to say

"You were listening?" Lilly questioned in disbelief

"He said it so smug like he knew that there was no way you live without him. Like he owned you….and all you could say was that you hated him" Serena cried "You stayed. All you ever did was stay, knowing what daddy did, knowing how he was….you stayed hoping it would get better" she cried

"Okay, I'm not about to be judged by my daughter. I made my decisions but I will not be reprimanded…" Lilly said as she began to defend herself

"I stayed too. With Jason, I stayed because in some weird way I thought I couldn't live without him, it was like I was completely different person with him and all I knew was to be that person with him because he was everything to me" Serena cried

"What does this have to do with me?" Lilly asked

"Don't you see, I did what you did. I stayed….he'd beat me until I was knocked unconscious at times, but I stayed" Serena cried as Lilly's knees nearly went weak.


Gathered around the table, everyone smiled as they looked on at the hand made feast that they had all put together. It wasn't the best looking feast as they were used to but it was a memorable feast that seemed to hold more meaning in the fact that it was a group effort above everything else. Unaware of the Thanksgiving mishap, Tyler sat in his chair just eyeing the burned up turkey that had toothpicks of pineapple pieces all over it, chocolate chip cookies that were beyond deformed with no clear shape, and appetizers that consisted of crackers and cut up bologne pieces. Breaking the silence with a bit of laughter, Dan hid his face in his hands as he just laughed while the others joined in with him. Seeing that the perfection was the obvious goal, Tyler was glad to see the big difference in this household as opposed to the Sparks household he had just come from.

"This meal looks so horrible" Jenny laughed

"Thank you, I was beginning to think I was the only one that thought that" Roman quickly added

"Who thought it'd be a great idea to put pineapple on the turkey?" Tyler questioned as everyone shifted to look on at Harold

"What? I saw it on a Martha Stewart" Harold reasoned "I wouldn't be talking Elle, you're appetizers look like a lunch able collection" he teased

"I never said it would be amazing. I was simply going after the simple task" Eleanor stated "I happen to think Jenny and I did better than you all combined" she stated

"Speak for yourself, my green beans are pure perfection" Blair said

"Oh, so that's the reason you decided not to cook them. After snapping them, you have to boil them" Rufus stated as Blair just shook her head

"Dorota just snaps and then done" Blair stated

"Yes because you miss the boiling phase of things" Eleanor replied

"No one here made anything worthy of bragging about, so let's just call it as we see it" Blair stated as they all agreed "What would you have made? If you didn't have to do you your whole work thing?" she asked as she looked over at Tyler

"I…mashed potatoes. I always made the mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. One year I got the task of cooking the ham, and I seeing as Thanksgiving is a football days as well, I completely forgot about it and burned the ham" Tyler smiled at the memory as he felt a little content to think back to his time with his belated parents "Though the hair in the cranberry sauce is a nice touch" he laughed as everyone joined in

"I knew there was a reason I shouldn't be trusted in the kitchen" Eleanor laughed as the laughter slowly faded at her statement once the bigger picture began to hit home for all of them. It was days where it was obvious that she was going through an illness, but then there were the moments where it was becoming so obvious of the toll it was all beginning to take on her "I never opened a can of cranberry sauce a day in my life, and the one time I do, I mess it up by putting hair in it" she said trying to laugh through the silence "C'mon, let's not do this. Not now" she then pleaded as she wanted the attention off of her "I'm sick. I'm losing my hair. It happens" she said

"Well…I for one hope you stick to fashion because cranberry opening is not your thing" Roman said breaking the silence as he smiled on at Eleanor. Seeing the smile between the two, it made it easier for everyone else to get back to the importance of the moment, that they were all together while Blair still sat in shock.

"That's not funny" Blair stated stopping the laughter

"Your mother attempting to cook is always fun" Harold laughed

"….I can't find the laughter in that, when the bigger picture seems to be hard to get past. I can't laugh with you guys on that nor do I care to" Blair said as she threw her napkin on to the table "Excuse me" she said sadly as she got up from her seat to leave the room.


An hour had passed as she just sat on the floor in her bathroom with her knees brought to her chest, Blair just rested her head up against the wall before she took a deep sigh. Blair knew that her mother was sick but it was the realization of that fact that made it all so disheartening at a time when she wanted to smile and get through the holidays. Hearing a knock come from the door, Blair looked over at the door to see it slowly open to reveal Tyler. Holding up a white tissue as his symbol of peace, Tyler entered the bathroom cautiously as he still was unsure of his sister's temperament when it came to him. Seeing that she was allowing him to advance further than he originally thought, Tyler took a seat beside her on the floor. Sitting in silence for a few moments, Tyler got comfortable on the floor as he just looked around the oversized bathroom.

"Are you sure you should be the one to broker peace?" Blair asked as she turned to look at him

"Most likely not but I'm used to you not liking me" Tyler smiled

"There's nothing you can say to make me laugh" Blair sighed "It's not funny by the slightest" she said

"Life isn't funny at times but you gotta find the moment to laugh, it really cures the soul" Tyler said

"She's sick Tyler…and if I wasn't more aware of that fact, let's add in the fact that she's losing her hair to make it all come together" Blair said as her eyes began to water "I'm sorry if I'm acting like a baby, but I want things as they were. I want this whole bankruptcy to go away so I don't have to do this budget that Humphrey is proposing, and I just want my mom to be okay" she said wiping away the tears

"It's not wrong to want that" Tyler said "You're used to things being a certain way but life has come in to destroy all of that" he said

"I know I need to grow up but I don't want to be forced into it" Blair sighed

"Sometimes we don't get the time we need to adjust" Tyler said

"How was it for you?…dealing with the death of your parents?" Blair asked as a silence came between them "I'm sorry for asking, I just…I just thought that you may have some secret on getting through this…I'm sorry" she quickly began to apologize

"There isn't a way or a secret of dealing with the loss of a parent. If there was, I'm not sure I would've taken it. It hurts, it breaks every part of you to the point where you have to rebuild just the smallest effort to even smile. Every bit of your day becomes a task because breathing is even harder to do" Tyler said as he drifted off into the memories "But this is where you're luckier than me….I don't forsee you having to deal with what I went through" he told her

"Forever is guaranteed" Blair smiled weakly

"No it isn't, but family is something you treasure while you have it because it sucks when you don't have them and I can honestly say that I don't want that for you" Tyler said

"Why because you would pity me?" Blair asked

"No, I just think along the way we kind of have to start trusting each other" Tyler told "We're not the idea brother and sister, but we're brother and sister nonetheless" he told her

"Oh goodness, somehow I knew you'd bring that title up" Blair groaned teasingly "….but maybe we're sort of falling into those roles, and it's not as bad as it seems" she said

"Everything is going to be fine. I know it may not seem possible, but somewhere you've got to find the strength" Tyler told her

"I've always depended on my mother being there. I'm trying to find my strength to be this woman that I'm supposed to be but my strength has always come from my mother. She's my everything" Blair said as tears welled up in her eyes

"Then this is the part where you have to start repaying her for the things she's done for you in the past, now you have to be her strength. No one person can take on the world by themselves, and we'd be dumb to think there is a person that can" Tyler said as he rested his hand on top of Blair's "Love her now, don't wait to love her later" he said as Blair wiped her eyes from the tears before she just rested her head on his shoulder.


Coming out of the dining area, Rufus held his drink in hand as he couldn't help but chuckle over the joke that Harold had told him. It was the strangest of things but Rufus finally felt comfortable in this newfound surrounding because he could see that his kids were comfortable. It was no surprise that Rufus had his beliefs about this world, but how Eleanor embraced Dan into her life was all but proof to him to see that she took him on as more of a son than and employer. At times Rufus worried that Dan would become accustomed to the Upper Eastside since Rufus was in and out of his rocker phase but one thing remained the same, Dan was still the son he couldn't be more proud of and Jenny was still the level headed girl that he had always wanted her to turn out to be. Taking a seat next to Jenny on the sofa as they all prepared for one of Cyrus's readings, Rufus hugged his daughter as they shared a quick moment.

"You good?" Rufus asked his daughter

"Yes" Jenny replied

"If you weren't, you would tell me right?" Rufus asked

"Yes dad, I would tell you" Jenny laughed "Chuck and I we're having the typical couple problems, but nothing to alert you about" she told him just as Dan stepped off the elevator with a bag in hand before he walked over towards his father and sister

"What's wrong?" Dan asked a bit out breath

"Nothing. It's just a Happy Thanksgiving" Rufus smiled as Jenny just laughed "What's with the bag?" he asked as he looked on at the black bag in Dan's hand

"You're about to see" Dan told him as he slowly made his way into the middle of the room "Everyone, can I have your attention" he called out as they all turned to look at Dan just as Tyler and Blair came walking down the staircase to see everyone gathering.

"What's going on?" Eleanor asked as Cyrus lead her over towards the sofa to take a seat while Dan grabbed a chair to put in the middle

"Do you have it?" Tyler asked Dan while Blair looked on in confusion

"Have what?" Blair asked as Dan handed the black bag over towards Tyler

"A while ago, I made a promise to you. I'm not sure if you remember it but I remember it vividly because I told you that you were a fashion trendsetter that I'd like to follow" Dan smiled as he turned to face Eleanor while Blair stood off in the corner just watching Dan and Eleanor "So this is me keeping my promise. Jen, will you do the honors?" he asked as he looked over at Jenny, who was receiving the hair clippers from Tyler

"You can't be serious?" Eleanor laughed as she looked on at Jenny get behind her brother

"Oh, he's very serious" Jenny laughed "Nothing gives me great pleasure than to finally do something with your hair" she teased as Dan just laughed before he grabbed on to Eleanor's hand and before Eleanor could realize it, Jenny began to shave Dan's head. It was still in amazement to see in person but Dan and Eleanor's relationship was something that came out of nowhere but was real and true that let others around them see that panic was nowhere in sight for them so it shouldn't be for anyone else. Folding her arms, Blair fanned her eyes as she hoped that tears wouldn't escape her because in a way that she couldn't explain, Blair felt like if Dan could be strong for her mother than surely she could at least attempt to try. Pulling her closer towards him, Blair looked over to see that her father was embracing her as they both smiled on at the sight.

"It'll all be fine CareBlair" Harold said before he kissed her on top of her head as she just rested her head on Harold's shoulder


After her big revelation to her mother, Serena could sense that the silence that Lilly gave her was nothing that would lead to the reaction she was hoping for. Wanting to escape any possibility of having a camera stuck in her face, Serena wasted no time in escaping the penthouse. Deep down she desired a nice cold beer, but fearing that Nate might be right about her enjoying the sports favorite drink, Serena thought she could emulate some bit of a Thanksgiving dinner even if it was by herself. Stopping by her favorite diner for her favorite cheeseburger and French fries, Serena sat alone at her table as she was just happy that no one was trying to flash a photo of her to splash all over Gossip Girl. Snacking away on her food, Serena just felt some bit of peace as she didn't have to pretend with herself, she was a mess but she was her own mess. Just as the waiter brought over her milkshake, Serena found that she had company joining her.

"You expecting anyone?" Lilly asked as she took the seat across from Serena while putting her purse to the side. Stunned to see her mother, Serena just looked at her for a few moments as Lilly looked around the diner "I would never peg you to like this place" she said

"Why? Because it's not gormet" Serena asked

"No, because it happened to be my favorite diner. They have the best milkshakes" Lilly replied "Us having something in common is far and in between, so don't mind if I enjoy the rare moment" she said

"Where's Richard?" Serena asked

"He's watching football. He wouldn't admit it but I think that's where his mind was at this whole time" Lilly replied as a slight smile came across her face as the silence once again came between them "We may not see eye to eye on a lot of things Serena, but the last thing I ever wanted you to learn from me was to stay in a relationship that is unhealthy" she said finally breaking the ice as she began to nervously play with her eyes "I was young when I met your father, he was the wise and experienced of us in the relationship so I blindly believed that regardless of the good and the bad in our relationship…he knew best. But along the way, lonely nights, cold stares, distance of states in between…I knew that we weren't the people that fell in love with each other. We were the people that stayed together because it was better to be together than to be a part" she said

"I knew daddy wasn't the perfect husband. I'd seen enough of the brunettes and blondes to get that picture; but I guess since you never made much of an issue about it, I never did" Serena said "Why didn't you? I mean you knew, you had to have known. Why did you put up with it?" she asked

"I wasn't strong enough to be on my own without him. With him, I was Lilly van der Woodsen, committee chair, debutant, hostess. Without him, I was just Lilly Rhodes, the girl that had to pretend that her family was rich when the economy had taken every bit of assets. I was ashamed of that girl, and I didn't see a life worth living as that girl" Lilly said as they both just processed what the other was saying

"I've never liked who I really was. I always thought that it was just the fleeting moments of loneliness, which has caused me to run from place to place, searching for that next thrill or that something that makes being lonely feel less lonely, if that makes sense…" Serena began to say

"It makes sense" Lilly replied

"I love you, I love daddy…but I don't want to be like you two. I can't run from thrill to thrill nor can I stay because I'm afraid of life alone" Serena cried "I don't want to be this morphed version of you two because I can't handle it anymore. I can't" she cried

"I'm not asking you to be me nor him" Lilly said as she wiped away tears that were falling down her cheek "Believe it or not Serena, I just want you to be happy. I want you….I want you to be better than I could ever be because whether you see this or not, I see this so often that I think it just scared me. I tried to stifle it out of you but you just, you just keep going against the grain" she began to say as she laughed in between

"What?" Serena asked

"You're fearless. You're brave, and you're most certainly not alone by any measure….and that's something I never had. If I tried to hold you back it was only because I was afraid that someone might extinguish the fire that you have….and to hear that you were hit and abused, that…that scares me because I should've known, I should've protected you" Lilly said as her emotions got the best of her

"You couldn't have. I didn't even fully understand" Serena quickly told her mother as she rested her hand on top of hers

"I'm your mother…" Lilly said

"What's past is past. In order for me to have any shot of moving past all the pain, I have to look at it as that" Serena told her mother as Lilly took a moment to get herself together "….I meant what I said in all accounts. I don't blame you nor do I blame daddy. I just need you in my future because I think if we try hard enough we can find some more things in common" she said as smile slowly came to her face

"Okay" Lilly laughed through the tears "Well why don't we start with the obvious…" she said after she took a deep sigh before she waved the waiter over towards the table "Can we get two milkshakes? I'll have chocolate with sprinkles on top and she'll have…" she began to say before she looked over at Serena

"I'll have the same" Serena said as Lilly just smiled back at her knowing that the pain was far from gone but it could begin to fade, with enough love and support, the pain could be that of past and that was something not worth bringing to the future. "Happy Thanksgiving mom" she told her mother.


Took a deep breath in the mirror

He didn't like it when I wore high heels

But I doTurned the lock and put my headphones on

He always said he didn't get this song

But I do, I do

Opening the door to her bedroom, Blair looked around to see the suitcase opened on the bed as she could hear the shower running in the background. Closing the door behind her, Blair walked towards the bed to where the suitcase was before she closed it and zipped it up. Pulling the small piece of paper out of her pocket, Blair placed it on the suitcase as she could hear Dan getting out of the shower. Sitting anxiously on the bed for a few moments, Dan opened up the bathroom door to see Blair sitting, waiting for him. A bit surprised to see her look so weird, Dan looked at her skeptically before he ran his hand over his barely there hair that he was now sporting with just his pajama bottoms on.

"You closed my bag" Dan said noticing the suitcase

"That's because we won't be staying here much longer. I'm thinking an overnight trip will suffice but I kind of think home is where we should be, our home" Blair said

"The home that includes no ounce of utilities?" Dan questioned

"See, that's where you're wrong" Blair exclaimed before she grabbed the piece of paper "We have electricity. It doesn't make up for water and gas, but I figure if I had to choose one then it'd be that" she said

"Why that?" Dan asked as he walked towards her

"We don't need gas because I don't cook, and if we need heat then that could be a valid reason to have sex" Blair said as Dan just laughed "I think water is overrated" she then said

"What about showers and any type of grooming?" Dan asked

"That was the toss up between the two, but then I just figured we could just shower here. We could even cut water supply here by showering together" Blair smiled

"Then work on that gas thing again with the sex we'd be having" Dan teased

"Exactly. Now you're catching on" Blair smiled "But then there's the big, big reason why I chose electricity" she said

"What's that?" Dan asked

"Because you need to write. You need to do your job and write that brilliant story that I can't wait to read because I'll be the star of it of course" Blair smiled

"Good reasoning" Dan laughed before he leaned in to kiss her

"Be patient with me. I'm gonna get there, I just need you to be patient with me" Blair said as she rested her forehead up against his

"So does that mean…?" Dan began to ask

"Yes, I'll do the budget" Blair sighed before Dan began to celebrate his victory "But I have say so in what gets slashed" she said

"I'll take it" Dan smiled "Aw, look at my baby growing" he teased

Walked in expecting you'd be late

But you got here early and you stand and wave

I walk to youYou pull my chair out and help me in

And you don't know how nice that is

But I do

Leaning up against the kitchen counter, Chuck pulled his phone out as he hoped to see that Jenny had called but found that there was no call or text in sight. Letting out a sigh, Chuck tucked his phone away in his pocket before he reached out to open up the fridge. Just as he looked around in the fridge for some bit of a meal, Chuck heard a knock come to the door. Looking over at his mother, Elizabeth showed no signs of expecting company. Walking towards the door, Chuck opened it up to see Jenny standing on the other side with a bag of food in hand.

"We really didn't have the gourmet meal that we thought we would have at the Waldorf's. We sort of made our own Thanksgiving meal, which sounds bad but it kind of turned out perfect. It helped me understand what Thanksgiving is all about, it's about the family aspect of it all and being together to make the memories" Jenny said as she looked on at the bag

"So what's in the bag?" Chuck asked

"You have this habit of not picking up food for yourself, and then you think that chef made food is good but it really isn't. So I have what is a Thanksgiving mouth orgasm in this bag because this good is soo good" Jenny said before she handed the bag to him "Enjoy with your mother" she smiled

"You know you could stay" Chuck told her

"I could, but then you'd be missing out on your tradition with your mother. Everyone deserves a tradition with their parents" Jenny said as she slowly backed away

And you throw your head back laughing like a little kid

I think it's strange that you think I'm funny cause he never did

I've been spending the last eight months

Thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end

But on a Wednesday in a cafe, I watched it begin again

Staring at his computer screen, Tyler let out a sigh as he struggled to write one decent thing about what he was supposed to gather from the Sparks family dinner other than they were crazier than his own family. Leaning back in his chair, Tyler folded his arms as he let out a sigh of frustration. Just as he was ready to claim defeat, Tyler heard a knock come from the door. Getting up from his seat, Tyler walked over to open up the door to see Georgina standing on the other side. Typically, Tyler would've been annoyed to see her but in this moment he couldn't help but feel for her.

"How are you doing?" Tyler asked as he leaned up against the door frame

"How do you think?!" Georgina asked a bit annoyed

"I was just trying…." Tyler began to say

"I know, and although I should be crying and cursing the fact that my own mother never wanted me and intended to abort her pregnancy but magically got scared by the wrath of God; I don't want to. I'm not that girl and I don't want to be" Georgina stated as her anger began to show as she spoke "I get that you hate me, but surely for one moment you have to hate me a little less" she said as she looked up at him with pleading eyes

"I don't hate you" Tyler said as he loosened up

"Good, that's a start" Georgina said as leaned forward to capture Tyler lips with hers. Aggressively and in an animalistic way, Georgina kissed Tyler to his surprise before he finally pushed her away

"Georgina…" Tyler began to say

"I know you said you wouldn't again, but this time I need this. I need this" Georgina cried as Tyler looked at her feeling even more sorry for her. Looking on at each for a few moments, Tyler sighed before he opened up the door

"Just tonight" Tyler told her as she walked towards him, focusing solely on his lips before he backed up into the apartment, pushing the door close behind her just as she caught his lips with hers once more.

He said he never met one girl

Who had as many James Taylor records as you

But I doWe tell stories and you don't know why

I'm coming off a little shy

But I do

"Are you serious?! I can't not go to the spa. There's only one person that knows how to give me that dewy fresh look" Blair exclaimed as she tried to grab the list that Dan was fending away from her as he wasted no time going to the other side of the living room

"Spa trips are luxury items. Besides, this will now give me more present options for the important days" Dan reasoned as he couldn't help but laugh

"You can't cut things that I typically do for personal gain so you won't have to use a brain cell to come up with better gifts for me!" Blair declared "How about instead of the full service treatment, I get the massage and facial?" she suggested

"Massage only" Dan quickly replied

"Massage and manicure" Blair quickly asked

"Massage and bikini wax" Dan stated as Blair just gave him a look that showed she wasn't dumb "Okay, that was personal gain. Massage and manicure plus pedicure, once a month" he bargained

"Damn you!" Blair cursed "Fine, I'll take it" she agreed just as the elevator doors opened with Serena stepping off the elevator. Turning to look at the blonde, Blair looked a bit surprised to see Serena.

"Am I interrupting something?" Serena asked

"No, you were just stalling my pending financial death" Blair sighed

"What does that mean?" Serena asked

"We're budgeting" Dan smiled proudly

"Notice how you're the one smiling about that. Torturing me isn't a recipe for a happy relationship" Blair told him

"But it makes it financially stable" Dan laughed "I'm going to get some of that weird lunch able meat. You guys want anything?" he asked

"No" Blair replied as Serena agreed along with Blair before Dan took off to leave for the kitchen "So, Happy Thanksgiving" she smiled as Serena walked towards her "Or is it?" she asked as she could tell Serena's demeanor

"When has it ever been?" Serena laughed softly

"True" Blair agreed "But what's got you all sad and gloom? Did Lilly do something?" she asked

"No, she actually did good. She did real good" Serena replied "I just thought I'd come by and we'd talk because it's sort of tradition" she said as Blair nodded as it all came back to her

"Our now, six year tradition" Blair said as they both sat down on the sofa together before a silence came "Did you buy any new shoes lately?…I feel like I need to live vicariously through you on that" she said as Serena rested her head on Blair's shoulder as smile came to her face

"I got the new Jimmy Choos" Serena smiled

But you throw your head back laughing like a little kid

I think it's strange that you think I'm funny cause he never did

I've been spending the last eight months

Thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end

But on a Wednesday in a cafe, I watched it begin again

[Flashback]

Hearing the door close, Serena got the final confirmation she needed to know that her father had left for Africa or wherever he'd ventured off to, so that he could avoid everything but coming home. Nearly crying herself a puddle of tears, Serena realized she couldn't spend the rest of the night in the closet. Rushing out of the closet so that her mother wouldn't hear her, Serena raced up the stairs just trying to stop her cries from being heard. In her sprint back to her room, Serena couldn't help but notice Eric still sound asleep, with no clue with what he would wake to. Looking on at her brother for a few moments, Serena quickly made her way intoher room as she began to pace the floor. Grabbing her phone, Serena wiped away the tears as she dialed the only number she could think of at this time of night.

"S" Blair answered a bit groggy

"Hey" Serena said a bit shaky before a silence came between them, which only Blair could decipher.

"Did you buy any new shoes lately?…I feel like I have to live vicariously through you on that" Blair asked as she knew to follow protocol with the phone call

"Yes, Jimmy Choos" Serena smiled weakly as she rested her head against the bed. It may have been trivial and meaningless, but in the world they lived in, meaningless girl talk served better than talking about the problems in their world that they feared would soon shape them.

[End of Flashback]


Switching and moving around things in his schedule later in the week, Dan managed to find and look forward to spending some time with Eleanor. Though he knew he should've been slaving away in front of a computer, Dan found that forcing an idea to come was more tedious than ever in his experience of writing. Making his way through the lobby, Dan greeted the usual building security as they were surprised to see him around earlier up in the day than his usual evening visits. Reaching the penthouse level, Dan stepped off the elevator and immediately saw Eleanor sitting in the living room as if she had been eager to see him. On the phone when he arranged the hang out with her, Dan could sense that she was eager to see him as she wanted to talk with him about something.

"I have finally made it" Dan smiled as he relieved himself of his coat before making his way over towards the living room "So we could do movies, pizza, maybe sneak a beer in, emphasis on the sneak…" he began to say

"I wish that we could do all of those things, but what I have planned for us is of pressing time" Eleanor said

"Okay, is there like some sale going on down at the department stores?" Dan asked

"No" Eleanor smiled "I need you to help me write my will" she said as Dan drew a shocked and surprised face as he looked on at her.


Music/Lyrics Used in this Chapter

Taylor Swift- Begin Again


Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I was a bit skeptical to do Thanksgiving but then I was like they need some holidays. More fam issues, the better I guess. I hope to get feedback from you guys and I also want to thank you all for the feedback all ready given.

-I wanted to address the question "How will Blair restore the family name?" The next chapter will be the start of that journey as her whole arc beginning next chapter and thus far is about growing up and becomign her own woman. Blair's journey will fun and interesting and very Blair-like with a few added surprises that I think you guys will enjoy if you've read my other stories.